Page 18 of Love From the Ashes

“It was so smooth, I couldn’t tell.” I leaned forward, placing my head in my hands as I closed my eyes.

“I figured as much. Don’t worry about anything you said last night. Neither Della nor I will repeat a word of it.”

“What did I say?” I sat back up and stared at Adam, my heart pounding.

“It was a bit of a babble, but you said some stuff about your husband being a drunk and dying in a house fire. And then you rambled about your dad being a drunk and an asshole and your mom a drug addict. Oh yeah—you also said your dad died in a car accident, something about the freeway. You went on about hating drunk people and how they make you do things you don’t want to do. It sounded like you’ve had some unpleasant experiences along those lines.”

I hung my head, not wanting to look at Adam. To say I was embarrassed was an understatement. And he was blunt, not even bothering to sugarcoat anything he’d heard. “I have to go.” I got up and looked for my jacket, spotting it lying on the floor next to the couch. I hastily put it on.

“You don’t need to rush off. Breakfast will make you feel better. That and a cup of coffee.”

“I really need to go. Thank you for dinner last night.” I grabbed my purse from the back of the barstool and hurried toward the door.

“Sofie, stop!” Della came rushing after me. “You really should stay until you feel better. Adam can drive you home.”

“No, I have to go.” I bolted out the door. If I could have jumped into a hole and pulled the dirt over me at that moment, I would have done it. I didn’t want anyone to know about my past or hear my secrets, preferring that door stay closed.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. I rushed inside and turned around without bothering to look up, vaguely aware a man stood behind me. I jumped when he cleared his throat.

“May I ask what you’re doing here?”

I held my breath. Besides being stern, the voice sounded like Reid’s. I slowly turned, finding him staring at me, his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his lips.

“You look like you just woke up.”

“I did.” I shifted my weight from foot to foot as I meekly turned away. Aside from being embarrassed once again, I hadn’t bothered to use the bathroom before I ran out of Adam’s apartment, and my bladder felt like it was going to burst.

The elevator dinged as it reached the ground floor. I bolted across the threshold when the doors opened, only to have Reid pounce on me and grab my arm.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I swung around to face him, surprised by the angry tone in his voice. “I have to pee, and if I don’t find a bathroom, I’m going to be standing in a puddle.”

“This way.” Reid led me through the resident lounge to a door in the far corner without letting go of my arm. “The bathrooms are in there.” He let go of me and opened the door, revealing an interior corridor.

I rushed into the ladies’ restroom and dashed into a stall, barely making it in time. As I sat there, I couldn’t help but wonder why he seemed so upset and whether he’d be waiting for me when I’d finished. Then it dawned on me. Based on his comment about my looking like I had just woken up, Reid must be thinking I’d had a sleepover with some male who lived in the building. That had to be the reason he seemed mad. But that would mean he was jealous, which seemed unlikely, especially if he was the player that Della made him out to be. Finished, I washed my hands and left the restroom. Reid was waiting for me in the lounge.

“I’ll drive you home. I parked my car down the street.”

“I can walk home. That’s how I got here.”

“When?”

“What?” I stared at Reid, not following what he meant.

“When did you get here?”

“Last night.”

“That’s what I thought,” Reid snapped. He looked disappointed, almost bitter.

“Hold on. It’s not what you think. I wasn’t hooking up with some guy. Adam lives here, and Della and I had dinner with him last night. We drank saké, and I guess I had too much to drink. I woke up on the couch. Della’s still here. She was making pancakes when I left.”

“Well, that explains why you look like you just crawled out of bed.”

“Did that thought bother you?” I teased.

“Maybe.” Reid grinned at me as he reached out and took my arm. “Come on. I’ll walk you to my car.”

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